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SWIM is debating injecting heroin, he's built up quite a tolerance and as arrogant as it may sound, would rather people didn't lecture him about how bad IV heroin is. He knows this, and is well aware of the complications that might come about.

That said, he's looking for advice on how to IV, what gauge needle is best, the real basics when it comes to this area of drugs.

He's always had a fear of needles, but is willing to put this aside in order to go with this experience.

SWIM thinks 30 gauge would be the best. It's probably better you not go digging around with an inch long needle until you have more experience. If you have fresh veins (Mmmmm, fresh veins *licks lips*), the easiest ones to hit are the stereotypical junkie spot in the bend of your arm, or the top of your hand.

Sway typically uses 3/10cc short, fine tip syringes, and finds that they are good for beginners, because with the smaller needles, basically anywhere that you see a blue line on your skin is fair game. These small needles are great for the fragile little veins on the top of your hand on on your wrist. Those are good beginner spots, because its easy to hold on to the needle while you get used to doing it one handed, (it is a little awkward in the beginning and takes some getting used to..) hold the needle at a 30 to 45 degree angle, and draw back the plunger as soon as the needle is embedded in the skin, that way blood will register as soon as you're in. careful not to move the needle around and inject slowly, if you feel a burning sensation or notice a lump forming, try again, the needle probably shifted and you missed the vein. This forum has lots of other posts on safe IVing practices, be sure to check them out, it is a dangerous business.
Be safe, and whenever possible, don't get high all alone.

SWIM thinks 30 gauge would be the best. It's probably better you not go digging around with an inch long needle until you have more experience. If you have fresh veins (Mmmmm, fresh veins *licks lips*), the easiest ones to hit are the stereotypical junkie spot in the bend of your arm, or the top of your hand.

SWIM posted a pretty detailed example of shooting up which might help.

Fantastic thread, very helpful

Quick question about cotton filters;
SWIM noticed someone in that thread saying to rest the needle on top of the cotton, rather than actually sticking it into it.
SWIM's understanding was that the needle was pushed into the middle of the filter before sucking up the liquid?

Rest it on top to filter (look at the needl it has a angle to it on the tip) put that angle downwards to filter upwards when swiy injects.

As a side note swim likes the B-D 1cc Fine needles himself but then swims thing isnt H so it could be different from meth...

Also remember to pull out at same angle swiy go in so as to damage vein as little as possible 13 yrs IV'ing and no trackmarks!

swiy may or may not have a little round scar where blood is usualy taken thats a good place to use because it can be hidden even in short sleeves pretty easy and it gives swiy a sorta marker of where to hit.

swim wont tell swiy not to because swiy asked not to be told but if swim could find the person that taught swim/hit swim for first time swim would beat the snot out of them its a road swiy wont ever get off of it ruiens all other ways at least it did for swim.

Last edited by Lokibee; 26-09-2009 at 13:16.
Reason: swimming is a learned skill lol

You're in the UK, right? Go to your local town centre, and visit a famous high street chemist, whose name is also a type of footwear (no sources...) Ask the pharmacist to use the exchange, and request a "1ml pack". And you will be given everything that you need. The barrels come with the needles attached, in an all-in-one syringe. You'll also get citric acid, maybe vit c, filters, stericups, alcohol wipes and a sharps-bin to put your used works in. And they usually throw in a condom for luck!

Make sure that you return your used syringes, in the sharps bin provided, back to the chemist who gave you them. The future of our exchanges depend on high returns rates.

Bear in mind that being in the UK, you will need to add citric of vit c to your heroin in order to make it soluble in water.

And this link here addresses whether it is better to use citric or vit c:[removed dead link]

And finally (yes I know you asked that no-one do this, but swim wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't) swim has to say this:
It was only when swim started IV-ing that things really got out of control. She'd smoked heroin for a good two years prior to trying IV use, and had always managed to keep a handle on things. Within a week of that first hit, the battle was lost for good. This was when she was 18, she's still hitting up at least three times a day now. She has to, to stay well. And she is fast running out of veins. This weekend she had to poke around in the veins on the tops of her feet for a good half hour, before she got herself, in order to stop rattling. Next step after those are gone is her groin. She's always said she'd never do that, but then again, she remembers once saying she'd never hit up at all...

It's amazing how heroin changes the things you once thought were so concrete and unchangeable, things you really thought you'd never do, become run of the mill, daily activities on heroin...but that's another story.

It seems like hitting up is better value for money, before you start doing it. What you don't realise at the time is that as soon as you start injecting, your habit will increase exponentially. You start pushing it, adding more and more to each hit, til you get to the point when nothing less than half a gram in one hit will touch the sides. Double that if you want a decent gouch.

Just bear this in mind: It's pretty much impossible to ever go back to smoking, once you've started hitting up full time. It's a one-way street.

If you're determined to go ahead with it, firstly, make sure you do it safely. Do you not have any friends who inject, who can show you how to do it, or at least supervise your first go? Secondly, try (and this will be very hard) not to inject all the time. Maybe limit yourself to one hit a day, either in the morning when you get up (if you tend to wake up ill, this could be preferable) or at night before you go to sleep (if you find it hard to sleep without the aid of gear, do this) but in between, during the day, continue to smoke it. This way, at least you'll save your veins a bit, and not get into the full time habit of IV-ing every dose. Also, if you keep on smoking it, you might just be able to hold off falling into the trap of permanent IV-use, at least for a while.

Good luck, and please, really take time to consider if this is a good idea, before you dive head first into it.

Also SWIM would like to add that before putting your needles in that little bin that they give you, it's best to put the orange cap back on the needle first (if it had one) and put it face down in the bin. Otherwise you might prick your finger if it goes in the bin accidentally (not that you'd want it to because it's really sore pulling your finger through that bit at the aperture).

I can't ever register in either arm with anything smaller than 25 gauge. Maybe my blood's thicker than normal? I just know that is has to be a 25 gauge to work for me. Even the 27 gauge was too small for me. I prefer an inch long needle since I take about half of the shaft. Also, they are very appealing to me when they have nice length.

Why would a smaller needle not work? Smaller needles are easier to hit veins with. Smaller needles allow for less particles to pass through as well. Particles in your veins can cause D.V.T. leaving you permanent tired for the rest of your days with no cure. SWIM loves 30 gauge needles because it is way easier to hit your vein with a 30 gauge than a 28 gauge and SWIMS pharmacist was surprised one could hit a vein with anything other than a 30 gauge. Also your veins last a lot longer with smaller needles and you barely get any track marks. Get a small needle and get a big one, use both and I'm sure you will fall in love with the little one.

I've only ever used 30 gauge and have always got on really well with them except one time when I'd been IV'ing ethylphenidate for days and as soon as I'd registered, the blood in the needle would clot before I could depress the plunger. Wasted a pile of needles on one shot. Turns out I'd become pretty dehydrated so dehydration seems to require thicker needles.

I have been using 25x 5/8" needles since 1967 and still have plenty of usable veins.The larger needle has a tendency to stay put in the vein.
I also replace the plunger on a 3cc rig body with a pacifier bulb which makes the outfit self registering.
Once you are in a vein blood automaticly comes up in the rig.
Back in the days when everyone used a needle/eye dropper/pacifier set up I never saw people lose veins like today.
Of course this was long before BTH,too.
But I think the rigs we used helped,too